Sony Netherlands has lent me the A6700 for an extensive test, and I have certainly put it through its paces! The successor to the A6600 has been highly anticipated and is now here with the latest technologies and features. I can already reveal that it is an impressive camera that will capture the hearts of many Sony fans. Let’s begin with the Sony A6700 test and review.

Where can I buy the Sony A6700?

• Sony A6700 + 16-50mm
• Sony A6700 + 18-135mm
• Sony A6700 body

Table of Contents: Sony A6700 review

This review is 100% independent and not sponsored by Sony Netherlands or any other party. Sony Netherlands provided the Sony A6700 for testing without any conditions on the final judgment. This article is based on my experiences with the camera, and based on that, I have formed my opinion and conclusion.

Sony A6700 Test and Review: Introduction

The Sony A6700 is the successor to the 2020 Sony A6600, and the A6700 was introduced on July 12, 2023. The A6700 competes with Sony’s own ZV series, compact mirrorless cameras designed for vlogging and compact cameras without viewfinders. So, what does the A6700 bring to the table? That becomes clear in this test and review!

Sony A6700: Features

Let’s take a look at the general features of the Sony A6700 and how they compare to its predecessor, the A6600.

Sony A6700 Specifications:

The Sony A6X00 series has been around since 2013, and with its APS-C mirrorless cameras, it has reached many travel and weekend content creators. The bodies are notably compact, and when paired with lightweight E-mount lenses for APS-C, the entire setup is perfect for traveling. The A6XX series suffered from neglect due to Sony’s focus on full-frame models, but fortunately, Sony has awakened, and the A6700 is now on the market.
Compared to its predecessor, the A6700 has made significant improvements in almost every aspect, except for the battery life. Although it uses the same FZ100 battery, the A6700 can capture 470 shots according to CIPA, instead of 810.

Also Read: Sony A6700 vs A6600: Differences and Similarities

Sensor

The Sony A6700 features an APS-C sensor with a 1.5x crop compared to a full-frame 35mm sensor. This means that with a 24mm lens, you are effectively at 36mm. This is useful for sports and wildlife photography and videography. The sensor has seen significant improvements compared to its predecessor, with more megapixels and the use of a Back Side Illuminated (BSI) design. This design allows incoming light to be captured and processed in a better way, resulting in improved image quality and low-light capabilities.

Image Processor

A significant step forward is the image processor. The transition is from the Bionz X to the XR. This processor is faster and can read heavier files at high speeds. With the new image processor, I expected the burst speed to increase, but it has remained at 11 frames per second. On the other hand, it is now possible to record UHD 4K videos at higher bitrates.

Shutter Speed

With a shutter speed of 1/8000, the A6700 has become much faster. This fast shutter speed, combined with the electronic shutter, can assist in capturing extremely fast-moving subjects.
Most users will rarely need such a high-speed shutter, but if you ever forget your ND filters in bright light, it can be helpful.

Sony A6700 test and review: Build and Design

The concept of the A6XX series is to be compact and lightweight. With a weight of 493 grams (with card and battery), it is certainly not a heavy camera, but when you attach lenses to it, the weight increases. Of course, you can keep the setup small and have a lot of power in a compact body.

Buttons

The button layout feels natural and will be familiar to Sony users. A new button has been added under the main mode dial, allowing you to switch between photo, video, and S&Q modes. Such a button is handy as it speeds up the workflow. Note that the menu also has separate settings for video and S&Q. This may be confusing for new Sony users.

Setting the exposure triangle (ISO, Aperture, Shutter) is very smooth. You can assign buttons to your preferred functions, but in the M mode, you adjust aperture and shutter speed using the rear button and the one below the shutter button. Use the rear dial and the ISO button to adjust the ISO value.

Fn Buttons

Multiple Fn buttons can be found on the camera, which is important for creating a smooth workflow. If you don’t normally use Fn buttons, it’s recommended to do so. You can assign many functions to these buttons. There is an Fn button on the back, on top, and on the right side.

LCD Screen

A vari-angle screen is now common on Sony cameras, but for years, Sony was the only brand still exclusively using flip screens. Of course, this is cumbersome for videographers. The advantage of a flip screen is that it can be tilted up a bit for the right angle without having to fully flip the screen open.

Sony has now fully transitioned to vari-angle screens. The A6700 features a 3-inch screen with 1.03 million dots. It’s not the highest-resolution screen on the market, but it’s more than sharp enough. The touchscreen also works well and is responsive.

Electronic Viewfinder

The electronic viewfinder hasn’t seen much development compared to its predecessor, and that’s a disappointment, especially considering its price. According to Sony, the viewfinder is brighter and sharper, but it’s somewhat underwhelming. The refresh rate has increased to 120fps, but that seems to be the only improvement.

The viewfinder is located in the upper-left corner, which may take some getting used to if you’re accustomed to a DSLR-style body. The camera has a sensor that automatically activates the viewfinder when you look through it, but this auto-detect function seemed rather slow compared to other cameras. Given the camera’s hybrid nature and the current technology, it could be much faster. In practice, in auto-detect mode, I had to fully close the LCD screen (with the screen facing inward) before the EVF turned on.

An advantage of having the viewfinder in the upper-left corner rather than on top is that the camera is more compact and fits better in a housing. So, the A6700 has an electronic viewfinder with a 120fps refresh rate, but that’s about all there is to it in terms of improvements.

Connections

All connections are located on the left side of the camera, and it’s convenient that all cables are on only one side. This way, you can use the USB-C 3.2 connection for charging and transferring materials. There are, of course, microphone and headphone connections available.

For HDMI output, there’s a micro-HDMI port. I don’t see many content creators using this in combination with an external recorder, since you can’t output RAW or ProRes.

The inputs and outputs are covered by plastic flaps instead of rubber covers. This works fine, but the plastic is prone to breaking.

Card Slots

On the Sony A6700, you have only one memory card slot, which is not surprising considering the camera’s compact body. So, it’s not possible to make direct backups to a second card or automatically switch to the second card when the first one is full. But do you really need that with a camera like this? I’ve mentioned it a few times; make sure to use a fast memory card if you want to record 10-bit 4K (120fps) footage. You can consider the SanDisk Extreme Pro | 300Mb/s, V90 II, Class 10 | 128GB.

Battery

The A6700 uses the FZ100 battery. Sony provided me with a single battery, so it means you need to plan carefully how and where you use it. During my day out, I also had the Nikon Z8 for review with me and noticed that the A6700, with consistent use, lasts longer. Of course, these are two completely different cameras that handle energy differently, but it’s still noteworthy.

The CIPA rating for the FZ100 in the A6700 is 550 shots, but you can easily surpass that with frugal use. I came home with over 1500 shots (RAW+JPEG) and many high-end 4K videos and still had some battery left.

It’s always a good idea to have one or two extra batteries with you. But if you don’t, you can charge the battery in the camera via USB-C. This should work with any USB-C charger, although it’s recommended to use the provided USB-C cable.

The A6700 Menu

Sony has now introduced a completely revamped menu that is much better than the confusing one they had before. The new menu looks sleek and is easier to use. However, there are so many settings that it can be overwhelming for non-tech-savvy users. Even if you want to dive into it, there’s so much that I almost don’t feel like it.

On the other hand, you would have heard me complain if the A6700 had a menu with only basic settings. In that case, it’s better to have too many menu functions that you don’t touch than to miss essential ones.

What’s tricky about the Sony menu is that some functions won’t work if another function is enabled. While Nikon’s menu tells you which setting conflicts with another, Sony’s menu does not.

Sony A6700 Test and Review: Photography

Photographing with the Sony A6700 can be done with 26 megapixels. And although this may seem limited, it is more than enough for most types of photography. Within this price range, 26 megapixels are reasonably standard when you look at the competition.

The photos from the A6700 are sharp, have somewhat harder contrasts, and are not overly saturated. Of course, you can adjust this later to your liking, especially when using RAW files.

Sony is known for producing accurate skin tones, and the A6700 is no exception. They look true to life and soft. The automatic white balance also handles whites well in various situations.

Burst Mode

It’s clear that you’re not getting a sports or wildlife camera with this one. You can only take ‘just’ 11 photos per second. Of course, you can apply this to any fast-moving subject, but it’s not enough for serious and professional work.

ISO and Noise

Sony cameras are known for their good ISO values and noise reduction, but that mainly applies to their full-frame sensors. That means the APS-C sensor performs slightly less in this regard. But that’s not surprising.